The present invention generally relates to a container assembly and more particularly, to a removable vehicular container assembly that may be selectively secured upon a seat by the use of existing and standardized securing members.
It is typically desirable to provide relatively wide and uninterrupted seating space within the passenger compartment of a vehicle. It is also concomitantly desirable to provide containers or storage members, within the vehicle, to securely hold various food and drink type items and/or other members or assemblies for use by the various vehicle passengers. In order to allow such desirable wide seating while concomitantly allowing some food or drink type items to be secured within a vehicle, small containers are typically provided within the instrument panel or vehicle console for use by the driver or passengers seated in the front of the vehicle.
While these containers do allow food or drink items to be secured within the vehicle, they suffer from some drawbacks. For example and without limitation, these containers are relatively small, thereby allowing only a relatively small amount of food or drink items to be secured within a vehicle. Moreover, since these containers are normally only deployed within the front of the vehicle, passengers disposed upon the xe2x80x9cbackseatxe2x80x9d cannot typically utilize the containers and must hold these various items until they are consumed. Further, since these containers are only and conventionally adapted to secure food or drink items, a user must hold other items, such as a computer, as they are used. Lastly, many of these containers are not aesthetically pleasing and require mounting space which may be used by other desirable assemblies or apparatuses, thereby preventing the use of such other assemblies or apparatuses or necessitating an undesirable and operationally inefficient overall mounting arrangement.
It may therefore be desirable to provide a container assembly which may be removably and selectively secured within a vehicle and which overcomes at least some of the previously delineated drawbacks of prior container assemblies.
It is a first object of the present invention to provide a container assembly that overcomes at least some of the previously delineated drawbacks of prior assemblies.
It is a second object of the present invention to provide a container assembly which overcomes at least some of the previously delineated drawbacks of prior assemblies and which, by way of example and without limitation, may be selectively and removably disposed upon a seat.
It is a third object of the present invention to provide a container assembly which overcomes at least some of the previously delineated drawbacks of prior assemblies and which, by way of example and without limitation, may be selectively and operatively used in a desired portion of a vehicle.
It is a fourth object of the present invention to provide a container assembly which overcomes at least some of the previously delineated drawbacks of prior assemblies and which, by way of example and without limitation, may be selectively disposed upon a seat and selectively opened and extendable to an operative and supportive position.
It is a fifth object of the present invention to provide a container assembly which overcomes at least some of the previously delineated drawbacks of prior assemblies and which, by way of example and without limitation, may be selectively and operatively disposed upon a seat and selectively disassembled for storage.
It is a sixth object of the present invention to provide a container assembly which overcomes at least some of the previously delineated drawbacks of prior assemblies and which, by way of example and without limitation, includes an attachment portion which is movable from a first extended position to a second stored position within the assembly.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a container assembly is provided. The container assembly is used with a seat of a vehicle of the type having at least one xe2x80x9cISOFIXxe2x80x9d type attachment member. The container assembly comprises a containment portion; and at least one clamping member, which is attached to the containment portion and which has a slotted engagement channel formed to the same shape as the xe2x80x9cISOFIXxe2x80x9d attachment member.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a container assembly is provided. The container assembly includes a first recessed portion; a second portion which is pivotally coupled to the recessed portion which is movable from a first position in which the second portion overlays the first recessed portion to a second position; and a third portion which is disposed within the first portion and which is selectively movable from a first substantially flat position to an elevated and extended position.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, a container assembly is provided. The container assembly includes a first portion, which is movable from an operative open position to a closed position; and a second portion, which is disposed within the first portion and contains various typical electronic devices.